New Delhi: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said several steps have been taken for the secure and efficient operation of trains.
"On the recommendations made by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), several steps have been taken for safety in operation of trains. The Railway Board issued guidelines for improving Reliability of Signalling system. Further specifically for the section, Zonal Railway has drawn an action plan and same has been implemented to improve the reliability, and advised all Zonal Railways regarding Joint procedure for dealing with Automatic Signalling Territory as mentioned in General Rule 9.12," Vaishnaw said in Rajya Sabha.
Notably, a severe collision occurred between Kanchanjunga Express and GFCJ Container at Rangapani section on June 17.
“The signaling department submitted data of Katihar division, there have been 275 failures in the auto section of Katihar division since its commissioning in January 2023 till June 20, 2024. The causes of failures were different but a major factor was failures of MSDAC that account for nearly 50 percent of the total failures. The large number of signaling failures in the Automatic section was defeating the very purpose of mobility enhancement and causing safety concerns also,” CCRS inquiry report stated, a copy of which was accessed by ETV Bharat.
“Signaling failure involving both the UP & DN line and also multiple signals therefore the operating department in consultation with the signaling department should have followed the provision of Subsidiary Rule 9.12,” the report stated.
Some Signal and Telecommunication department staff, on condition of anonymity, told ETV Bharat, these are the same rules which have been existing for a long time but the guideline has been issued to the staff for the purpose to remind all these norms during operations.
Electronic Interlocking Systems:
Electrical/Electronic Interlocking Systems with centralised operation of points and signals have been installed at 6,589 stations up to June 30 this year, to eliminate accidents caused by human error, the ministry of railways earlier said.
Axle counters for Automatic clearance of Block Section, BPAC:
This system Block Proving Axle Counter is provided to ensure complete arrival of trains without manual intervention before granting line clearance to receive next train and to reduce human element. These systems have been provided on 6079 Block Sections up to June 30 this year, the ministry said.
Interlocking of Level Crossing (LC):
LC gates have been provided at 11,048 level crossing gates up to June 30 this year, enhancing safety at LC gates.
Complete Track Circuiting of stations:
This system enhances safety by verifying track occupancy through electrical means, and has been implemented at 6,609 stations as of June 30.
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